Automatic stop for talking machines



J. BRANDSTETTER.

AUTOMATIC STOP FOR TALKING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. 1918.

Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

II; 0 v 26 4 INVENTOI? A TTOH/VEYO UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSE]? BRANDSTETTER, OF ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA.

AUTOMATIC STQP FOR TALKING MAEHINES.

To all w/iom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnr Bmrmsrn'rrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Olmsted and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Stops for Talking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to talking machines and more particularly to an automatic stop therefor. Most of the so-called automatic stops of the prior art require a preliminary setting of the stop in accordance with various sizes of records, since the extent of movement of the reproducing element, which determines the time of operation of the stop, varies with the length of the composition reproduced. Un-the other hand, automatic stops of the non-set character which have been produced, have been im practical and unsatisfactory on account of theirexceedingly complicated character.

It is therefore one object of the invention to provide an automatic non-set stop which is extremely simple in construction and hence may be very cheaply manufactured, will not readily get out of order, and may be applied to existing talking machines without materially changing the construction thereof and in such a manner as to be substantially hidden from view.

With the above object in view, a further and important object of the invention is to produce a fluid pressure actuated device for controlling the operation of the brake for arresting the motion of the record rotator or turn table in such a manner as to stop the machine when the end of the composiion reproduced is reached irrespective of the length of such composition and without a preliminary setting of the stop mechanism. Either gaseous'or liquid fluid may be employed as the pressure fluid.

The objects of the invention thus generally stated, together with other and ancillary advantages are attained by the construction and arrangement illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part here of, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing a supporting board of a tall ing machine with the usual parts thereon and illustrating a preferred. embodiment of my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same with the turntable removed. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view through the brake con- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

Application filed March 23, 1918.

Serial No. 224,175.

tone arm 2 and a record carrying element or rotator illustrated as a turntable 3, in the usual manner. 4 is a spring-actuated brake normally tending to operatively engage with the rim flange 5 of the turntable; and 6 indicates generally fluid pressure-controlled means operatively connected with the tone arm 2 and with the brake 41, said means being arranged to be operated by the tone arm, as it swings in operation inwardly toward the center of the record A, to hold the brake 4 out of engagement with he turntable until the end of the composition being reproduced is reached.

The brake a may be of any preferred construction. Herein it is shown as comprising a bell crank lever 7 pivotally mounted on a plate 8 beneath the turntable 3 and near its periphery. On one end ofthe lever 7 is a brake shoe9 normally urged by a spring 10 into engagement with therim flange 5 of the turntable; and the other end of said lever is operatively connected with the fluid pressure-controlled means 6.

-The fluid pressure-contr0lled means 6 comprises a cylinder 11 mounted on the board 1 beneath the turntable 3, a pressure piston 12 pivotally connected to the tone arm and arranged to operate in the cylinder 11, and. a brake piston 13 pivotally connected to the brake 1 and also operable in the cylinder.

The cylinder 11 is mounted upon the board 1 beneath the turntable 8 and preferably said board is provided with a groove 14 for partially receiving the cylinder as shown most clearly in Fig. 1. An ear 15 formed on one side of the cylinder serves as a means for fastening the cylinder in position in said groove 14:-

The pressure piston 12, which maybe of any suitable construction, is arranged to be operated in the cylinder 11 by the swinging ofthe tone arm 2 and to this end said piston is provided with a stem 16 which is pivotally connected to the tone arm by means of a connecting rod 17 and a. lever arm 18. The arm 18 is fixed to the tone arm just aboye the upper surface of the board 1 in. any su1table manner, and in order to permit of the free swinging movements of the connecting rod 17 in the end of the cylinder the adjacent end of the groove 1 1 is beveled upwardly as at lt fhe brake piston 13 is also arranged to slide in the cylinder 11 and is pivotally connected to the bell crank lever 7 of the brake at the end opposite the brake shoe 9. For this purpose a stem 20 is provided on the outer end of the piston.

In the present instance air is employed as the pressure fluid in the operation of controlling the brake d, and a suitable passage is provided for gradually allowing the escape of air pressure from the cylinder when the tone arm has ceased to swing and the pressure piston 12 has consequently ceased to build up pressure against the brake piston 13. ()bviously, many methods of forming such passage for the slow escape of air might be employed and herein by way of illustration 1 have shown a port 21 provided in the wall of the cylinder adjacent the inner end of the brake piston and arranged to be controlled by means of a needle valve 22. Said port is formed in a boss 23 on one side of the cylinder and preferably said boss and the valve 22 therein are inclined upwardly from the side of the cylinder so that the valve member may be readily adjustedto vary the size of the air passage.

The operation of the pressure-controlled means 6 to actuate the brake is as follows: When the tone arm is in its normal inoperative position the pressure piston 12 is near the end of the cylinder 11. t will thus be evident that an inward movement of the tone arm to place the reproducing needle upon the outermost groove of the record will force the pressure piston inwardly in the cylinder and thus sufficient pressure will be built up in the cylinder to actuate the b ake piston and carry the brake out of eng .gement with the turntable. As the tone arm continues to swing inwardly the pressure in the cylinder is maintained substantially constant by reason of the gradual escape of air through the passage formed by the port and valve member 22, and when the inward'movement of the tone arm ceases by reason of the completion of the composition reproduced or if the speed with which the turntable rotates becomes too slow, consistent with proper reproduction, the continued escape of air through the air relief passage reduces the pressure in the cylinder su'fliciently to permit the actuation of the brake by its spring 10 to stop the machine.

In order to enable the tone arm to be rapidly swung outwardly without unduly straining its operative connections with the pressure piston, said piston may be provided with a port at which is closed by a flap valve 25 during the inward movement of the piston. Thus when the piston is rapidly drawn outwardly in the cylinder any tendency thereof to form a vacuum in the cylinder and consequently interfere with the easy outward movement of the piston is prevented. by the entrance of air through the port 24-. I

In case an extraordinarily small record is to be reproduced, it will be evident that the rapid inward movement of the pressure piston caused by the swinging of the tone arm from inoperative position the necessary distance inwardly to the outer groove of such small record may also tend to unduly strain the operative connections between the pressure piston and tone. arm, and to this end I have provided safety outlet valve in the cylinder opposite the air release passage. Such valve may comprise a port 26 formed in a boss 27 on the cylinder and closed by means of a valve member 28 which is mounted on the brake carrying plate 8. The valve member 28 yieldingly rests upon the boss to normally close the port therein, but is arranged to yield to permit the escape of any excess pressure. I

lVhile I have herein described my invention with considerable particularity, as applied to an air pressure controlled stop, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction and arrangement set forth nor to the use of any particular form of pressure fluid. A It will, for instance, be obvious that the principles of my invention may be applied by any mechanic to a talking machine employing a cylindrical record and a reciprooating reproducing element in place of the. disk record and one arm type of machine I have illustrated, and that the device may operate by differences in fluid pressure in either direction.

1 claim as my invention:

1. An automatic stop for talking machines or the like having, in combination with a record rotator, a reproducing element, and a brake arranged to be swung into operative engagement with the rotator, pressure-fluidctuated controlling means operatively connected with said brake and said reproducing element for rendering said brake inoperative during inward motion of said reproducing element.

2. An automatic stop for talking machines or the like having, in combination with a record rotator, a reproducing element and a brake normally tending to operatively engage with the rotator, pressure-fluid-actuated controlling means operatively connected with said brake and said reproducing ele ment and arranged to prevent application of the brake during the movement of the reproducing element' caused by the reproducing operation,

8. An automatic stop for talking machines or the like having, in combination with a record rotator, a reproducing element and a brake arranged to be swung into operative engagement with the rotator, pressure-fluid actuated controlling means operatively connected with said brake for controlling the same including a cylinder having a piston operatively connected with the reproducing element.

l. Anautomatic stop for talking machines or the like having, in combination with a record rotator, a reproducing element and a brake arranged to be swung into operative engagement with the rotator, pressurefluid-actuated controlling means including a cylinder having a piston operatively con-' nected with the brake and a piston operatively connected with the reproducing element.

5. An automatic stop for talking machines or the like having, in combination with a record rotator, a reproducing element and a brake arranged to be swung into operative engagement with the rotator, pressure-fluidactuated controlling means including a cylinder having. a piston operatively connected with the brake, a piston'operatively connected with the reproducing element, and valve means cooperating with said last mentioned piston to control the movements of the brake piston.

6. An automatic stop for talking machines or the like having, in combination with a record rotator, a reproducing element and a brake arranged to be swung into operative engagement'with the rotator, a pressurefiuid-actuated controlling means including a cylinder having a piston operatively connected with the brake, a piston operatively connected with the reproducing element, and adjustable means for permitting the escape of pressure fluid from the cylinder.

7. An automatic stop for talking machines or the like having, in combination with a record rotator, a reproducing element and a brake arranged to be swung into operative engagement with the rotator, pressurefluid-actuated controlling means including a cylinder having a piston operatively connected with the brake and a piston operatively connected with the reproducing element, a valve to assist in controlling the movement of the brake piston, and a valve for permitting the easy return of the other piston to its initial positioln 8. An automatic stop for talking machines having in combination with a record rotator, a reproducing element and a brake member arranged to be swung into operative engagement with the rotator, pressure-fluidactuated controlling means for said brake including a piston operatively connected with the brake and a piston operatively connected with the reproducing element, and

a safety valve for permitting the escape of excess pressure built up by a rapid movement of the tone arm.

9. An automatic stop for talking machines having, in combination with a record rotater, a reproducing element and a brake arranged to be swung into operative engagement with the rotator, piressure-fluid-actuatcylinder ha g a piston operativelv connected with oducingelement for movement thereby ed a piston operatively connected with the brake and arranged to be held out of o; rative engagement with the rotator dunngr the inward swinging movement of the reproducing elementfand m ans for permitting the escape of pressure iii d y to permit said lrake to be actuated. into engagement with therotator at the end oi: the reproduci operation.

1 1. An automatic stop for talking machines or the like having, in combination with a record rotator, a reproducing element and a brake normally tending to operativelv 1 I "h the rotator. a lever fixed to said r woducin element a relatively stationary c a A ',ton in the cylinder connected v.nh said b alte a second piston in the cylinder connecwl with said lever and. arranged to be moved toward the first mentioned piston by movement of the reproducing element, and means for gradually permitting the escape of pressure fluid from in front 0'? said first mentioned piston whereby when iTJO tone arm has ceased to swing the brake is released. i

12. An autoina chines h:- able stop for talking ma in combination with a movand a spring actuated brake memben a pressure-flhid-actuated device opcrativelv conne ranged operate upon the completion of the reproducing operation to cause the brake member to act.

14;. In combination with the record rotato'r and reproducing element of atalking machine, two movable elements, one of said elements moved by motion of the reproducing element and the other element l eing adapted to control the application of brake to the rotator, and fluid pressure moans tending to retard motion oi said elements toward each other, whereby continued motion of said reproducing element prevents the applr cation of the brake.

15. In combination with the record rotator and diaphragm carrier of a talking machine, and .vit-h a brake for the rotator, a movable element connected to said carrier, a second movable element controlling the application of the brake and fluid means tending to retard simultaneous motion o't' said elements in opposed directions, whereby continued motion of said diaphragm carrier prevents the application of the brake.

16. In combination with the record rotator, the brake for said rotator and the reproducing element of a talking machine, an automatic stop comprising a pressure fluid actuated controlling means having a cylinder, a piston operatively connected with the brake, a piston operatively connected with the reproducing element, adjustable means for permitting the gradual escape oi. iiuid from said cylinder, and an auxiliary emergency means for permitting rapid escape of said fluid.

17. In combination with the record rotator and the reproducing: element of talking 1nachine, a brake, means tending to apply said brake, and fluid means operated by the iii-- ward movement of said reproducing element for preventing the application of said bralrc during such motion.

.18. In combination with the record rotator and the reproducing element of a tall:- ing machine, means "for braking said rotator, and fluid means controlled upon the cessation of inward motion of said reproducing element for actuating said braking means when said reproducing element ceases to move.

19. In a talking machine, in combination, a record-carrying element, a reproducing element, and means operated upon changes of fluid pressure and actuated by said reproducing element, adapted to permit rotation of said record-carrying element only during continuous inward motion of said re producing element.

20. In a talking machine, in combination, a record-carrying element, a reproducing element, means opcratively connected with said reproducing element for displacing fluid, and means operated by the fluid displaced tor permitting continuous rotation of said record-carrying element. I

21. In a talking machine, in combination, a record-carrying element, a reproducing element, apisuon operatively connected with said reproducing element, a second piston adapted to control the motion of said recordv element, and cylinder means eshing an operative connection between pistons. Y

The combination of tWo movable elements, and means operated upon changes of fluid pressure and actuated by the continued motion oi one of said elements for permit ting continued motion of the other of said elements. I

23. In combination, two movable elements, control means associated with one of said elements, means actuated by the second of said elements, and means operating upon changes of fluid pressure constituting an operative connection between the means actuated by said second element and said control means.

24. In combination with the record r0- tator and the reproducing element ot a tall;- ing machine, means operative to control the delivery oi energy to said rotator, and pressure fluid means operated by the movement of said reproducing element during the reproducing operation adapted to control said energy controlling means to permit continued. motion of said rotator.

25. in combination with the record rotator and the reproducing element oi a talking machine, an automatic non-set stop com prising means normally operative to stop the motion of said rotator, and fluid controlled means governed by the velocity of said reproducing element and independent of its position for controlling the operation of said stopping means.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

JOSEF BRANDSTETTER. 

